2008 Ford Escort

Happy April Fools' Day. Ford isn't bringing the Escort back, despite what we told you on April 1 (below).

Ford's Way Forward is apparently Facing Backwards, as the company is planning on "introducing" the 2008 Ford Escort at the New York auto show, according to a press release that slipped out a few days earlier than intended. Many here at Car and Driver have been hoping for a variation of the Mazda 2 to appear on our shores and in our parking lot, but this is unfortunately not that car.

Just as the 2008 Taurus bowed at the Chicago auto show less than a month after its first unveil as the refreshed 2008 Five Hundred in Detroit, the Escort "news" is really just the letters on the trunklid. Escort is the new name for the old, but facelifted Focus that was also shown in Detroit. What's next? Can we expect the Fusion to be renamed Galaxy?

Said Mark Fields, Ford President of the Americas: "I can't tell you how many thousands of letters we have received asking us why we would ever walk away from such an iconic brand. Quite frankly, our customers miss the car many fondly called their 'Scort. We left them scratching their heads, because Escort once represented everything that made Ford a great brand. It was safe, reliable, and innovative transportation for young Americans. It will stand for all of these things and more in the future, because this car has earned the right to carry the Escort name."

Ford is also reviving the ZX2 nameplate for coupe versions of the Escort, promising a sport-tuned suspension and a "substantial" catalog of ZX2-specific parts available through Ford Racing.

Interestingly, the Focus will remain the Focus in Europe, where the 300-hp Focus RS competes with the likes of the Subaru WRX and Mitsubishi Evolution and lends serious credibility to the Focus name. Just as Ford has never seriously considered the U.S. for Focus RS consumption—or even the second-generation base Focus that is on sale in every global market except North America—we foresee no hope of ever seeing an Escort RS, or of the ZX2 ever approaching that performance stratosphere.

The Mustang GT500KR returns, Five Hundred becomes Taurus, Focus becomes Escort. We won't even go into the short-lived Zephyr name or that dark period of history where Ford brands had to start with F, Mercury with M, and so on. Who left Bill and Ted in charge of the marketing department? Our heads are starting to hurt. We need a nap.

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*AccuPayment estimates payments under various scenarios for budgeting and informational purposes only. AccuPayment does not state credit or lease terms that are available from a creditor or lessor, and AccuPayment is not an offer or promotion of a credit or lease transaction.